Congress gave vendors the ability to protest task orders to GAO in the fiscal 2008 Defense Authorization bill, and the provision is scheduled to sunset Sept. 30, 2011.

Lieberman introduced the extension earlier this year, and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed the bill by voice vote in April.

"After reviewing the implementation of these provisions over the past three years, the committee has concluded that Congress should reauthorize GAO's expanded jurisdiction for another five years," said committee members in the report. "An increasing amount of taxpayer money has gone to fund task and delivery orders. Such orders now commonly exceed $100 million; indeed, GAO recently received protests of three task orders that each passed the $1 billion mark. Review of large task and delivery orders by GAO provides important oversight and discipline against abuse or other inappropriate use of IDIQ contracts, and the ability of interested parties to protest task and delivery orders promotes transparency, accountability, and competition in the expenditure of tax dollars through contracts."